Glacial
by slstmaraudersjple
Summary: Jack Frost sacrifices himself to save the rest of the Guardians from a preemptive strike by Pitch Black. Rather than kill the Guardian, he locks the Jack's memories and corrupts his soul instead. Two years later, the world is slowly falling into darkness. The Man in the Moon chooses a new Guardian but can she save herself from darkness' new right hand man and her fellow Guardians?
1. Prologue

Summary: Jack Frost sacrifices himself to save the rest of the Guardians from a preemptive strike by Pitch Black. Rather than kill the Guardian, he locks the Jack's memories and corrupts his soul instead. Two years later, the world is slowly falling into darkness. The Man in the Moon chooses a new Guardian but can she save herself from Pitch Black's new right hand man and her fellow Guardians in the process? Jelsa.

A/N: This was somewhat inspired by SaturnXK's wonderful Jelsa fics. I never thought I would adore Jelsa until I came across her stories and I fell HARD. And now I'm on a writing spree while waiting for Paperclips to update! Anyhow, the summary is a working summary while I'm still piecing things together. Characters will be slightly OOC, for the most part. Think of Jack and Elsa with flipped personalities (and Elsa with a combination of Jack's and Anna's personalities) and you'll be closer to how I'm writing their characters. This is a pretty short story. I've only got 7 chapters laid out, including the prologue and epilogue, both of which are short.

Quick disclaimer: I do borrow a couple quotes and ideas from RotG because it's an _awesome_ movie.

**Glacial**

_**Prologue**_

"JACK!" Several voices yelled as dark arrows pierced through the Guardian.

Pitch Black stood in the distance, laughing, his eyes dancing manically.

Things were falling into place absolutely perfectly.

As darkness slowly spread through the winter Guardian, an idea fell into place.

"What better way," he mused out loud, drawing the Guardians' attention to himself, "to diminish the hope of the world and the source of your power, than by taking your source away?"

Before the Guardians could comprehend what was going on, he had his shadows completely surround Jack, and they vanished.

* * *

He was floating in darkness.

He slowly blinked into wakefulness to an unfamiliar man.

"Who are you?" He asked.

Everything felt heavy. Nothing felt right.

"You were hurt. You don't remember me?" The man responded, a slight twitch of amusement on his lips.

"No." He responded curtly.

"Well, my name is Pitch Black. I'm the king of darkness and nightmares. Your name is Jack Frost, and you're my right hand man. You were injured fighting the Guardians."

Trying to search for any affirmation of truth, he turned his attention to his clothing.

They were black, and they felt comfortable. Familiar.

"I see."

A slow malicious grin lit up on Pitch's face.

"Most excellent."

* * *

_**TBC.**_


	2. Part I Two years later

Summary: Jack Frost sacrifices himself to save the rest of the Guardians from a preemptive strike by Pitch Black. Rather than kill the Guardian, he locks the Jack's memories and corrupts his soul instead. Two years later, the world is slowly falling into darkness. The Man in the Moon chooses a new Guardian but can she save herself from Pitch Black's new right hand man and her fellow Guardians in the process? Jelsa.

A/N: This chapter is pretty short. It picks up after this, I promise!

**Glacial**

**Part I: Two years later**

"Jack! Jack!" Toothiana screamed, fighting against the black ice caging her wrists.

Beside her, Bunnymund and North were unconscious. He had knocked them out earlier for being overly irritating. On her other side, Sandy was glaring silently, his sand chiming and making expressions over his head, but Jack didn't care to decipher them.

"Shut up!" Jack snarled, startling the Tooth Fairy into silence.

"Oh Jack," she whispered sadly.

* * *

North had been the easiest.

He just had to show up into the workshop, startling the Guardian of Wonder.

"Jack!" He exclaimed in surprise and delight. "It is good to see you back-!"

And then the winter spirit struck so fast North was crumpled on the floor before he knew what was happening. He bound the Guardian and let Pitch deal with the Guardians' headquarters while he used one of North's snow globes to travel to Bunnymund's lair.

In comparison, the Easter bunny had been difficult. The Guardian of Hope was suspicious from the beginning, and had put up a good fight. Over half his tunnels had been destroyed in the resulting fight.

The disappearance of half the Guardians in such a short period of time put Toothiana and Sandy on alert.

Of all the Guardians, the Sandman was, without a doubt, the oldest and the most powerful. Their battle took to the heights of the skies, he found himself (reluctantly) surprised by the creativity of the oldest Guardian.

And if he were to be honest, Sandy would have (easily) overpowered Jack had it not been for Pitch's timely intervention.

After that, the Tooth Fairy was a piece of cake. All he had to do was capture her Baby Tooth assistants and use them as a shield against her attacks. It was enough to make the Guardian of Memories hesitate, and when she did, he struck.

* * *

"You're the Guardian of Fun," a whisper came, and Jack scowled at the Tooth Fairy before rendering her unconscious.

"You got something you want to say too?" He muttered to Sandy.

Sandy remained silent, struggling with the black sand Pitch infused into his binds.

* * *

_**TBC.**_


	3. Part II The Snow Queen

Summary: Jack Frost sacrifices himself to save the rest of the Guardians from a preemptive strike by Pitch Black. Rather than kill the Guardian, he locks the Jack's memories and corrupts his soul instead. Two years later, the world is slowly falling into darkness. The Man in the Moon chooses a new Guardian but can she save herself from Pitch Black's new right hand man and her fellow Guardians in the process? Jelsa.

A/N: Okay, finally we meet Elsa! And tons of thanks to SaturnXK for your wonderful insight into this!

**Glacial**

**Part II: The Snow Queen**

A year ago, Jack was sent to distract the Guardians while Pitch attacked the North Pole and enslaved all of North's helpers, taking over the workshop and the Guardian headquarters for his own.

He loved the Globe of Belief, with its bright lights. He enjoyed watching them slowly fade over the months as children all over the world slowly lost their belief in the Guardians and bringers of hope. He reveled in the despair on the Guardians' faces as the lights slowly flickered and died, and relished in their pain.

He was completely surprised one night when the crystal columns lit up to reveal a crystalline figure.

"What is this?" Pitch murmured to himself.

He scrutinized the figure closely. "The Man in the Moon chose a new Guardian? Well, well, well, if it isn't… the Snow Queen."

A malicious smile made its way to his face. "The Man in the Moon thinks he can thwart me by choosing another winter Guardian?" He laughed. Chances were, the Snow Queen didn't have any idea who she was yet. "Oh Jackie boy, I have a new assignment for you!" He called, knowing his right hand man would hear him.

Moments later, Jack flew in through the window, tapping the ground lightly with his staff before his feet touched solid ground. "What is it?" He asked coolly.

"The Man in the Moon chose a new Guardian, and I want you to take care of her… the Snow Queen."

At that, an amused smirk made its way to Jack's face. "Oh really?"

"She's yours to do with as you will. Just don't kill her yet. It won't do for the rest of the Guardians to lose their hope so quickly." At that, Pitch gestured to the far end of the room, where the rest of the Guardians were chained to the wall, barely conscious and too drained of energy to fight the dark ice caging them.

Jack, knowing a dismissal when he heard Pitch's words, simply nodded and jumped out the window, ordering the wind to carry him to his next location: Arendelle.

* * *

"Why is this happening to me?" Elsa whispered, roaming the frozen lands of Arendelle.

She remembered waking up and the first thing she felt was fear. Fear and confusion. She remembered Arendelle and the land, but she had no idea how she came to be. She still had her powers, but nothing felt right. Everything felt _wrong_.

The first indication of that was when she tried to talk to a villager and found herself walking right through them. When she tried to talk to someone, no one would respond. It was like she was invisible.

"_Why can't you see me?!"_ She screamed at passerby.

Abruptly, the snow swirled around her, and when it died down, she found herself in the mountains and Arendelle was a small speck in the distance.

"It's because no one believes in you." An impassive masculine voice responded.

Startled, Elsa threw her hands out and ice burst forth towards the stranger.

She was even more surprised when the ice simply sank into him, leaving him relatively affected except for the dark humor dancing in his eyes.

He was fairly attractive, with unruly dark brown hair and dark blue eyes, wearing a dark hoodie and pants. He held a wooden shepherd's staff and he was barefoot. But there was something about him, something about the way he held himself that was absolutely _predatory_ and proclaimed him dangerous. It made her uncomfortable and she couldn't help but feel unsettled.

"Elsa the Snow Queen. It's a wonder that you were chosen to be a Guardian." The man commented in amusement.

"Who are you?" Elsa demanded sharply, panic slowly trickling through her. Who was this man? He could see her and her powers had no effect on him whatsoever.

"The name's Jack Frost, _your majesty_," The man responded, bowing mockingly at her title.

At that, images flashed through her mind, supplying her with information and startling her. "You're the bringer of black ice. Darkness' right hand man."

A slow lazy smile made its way to his lips. "That would be correct, madam."

"What do you want with me? Why are you here?" She questioned suspiciously.

"I already told you. The Man in the Moon decided you would be a new Guardian. Unfortunately for you, that would interfere with plans Pitch already has in motion."

"But aren't you a Guardian?" Elsa questioned in confusion. The winter spirit was supposed to be the Guardian of Joy.

Darkness clouded over Jack's face and he responded curtly, "I'm the harbinger of ill will. And you, _your majesty_, will not be saving anyone anytime soon. In fact, you can't even save yourself."

Black ice gathered at their feet before flying towards her. Elsa frantically threw up ice of her own, but she realized too late that it was only a distraction.

'_But you're supposed to be the winter Guardian of Joy…'_ The words echoed in her head, even as Jack vanished out of sight.

"Too late," a voice murmured from behind her, his cold breath brushing against her ear, and pain exploded in her head as her world went black.

* * *

_**TBC.**_


	4. Part III Fear

Summary: Jack Frost sacrifices himself to save the rest of the Guardians from a preemptive strike by Pitch Black. Rather than kill the Guardian, he locks the Jack's memories and corrupts his soul instead. Two years later, the world is slowly falling into darkness. The Man in the Moon chooses a new Guardian but can she save herself from Pitch Black's new right hand man and her fellow Guardians in the process? Jelsa.

A/N: Dark Jelsa-ish. Rated T because Jack _is_ male after all...

**Glacial**

**Part III: Fear**

"_But aren't you a Guardian?"_

He scoffed.

As if.

Guardians were weak. There were three – well four if you counted the new one – and they were taken down so easily it was almost disappointing.

The Snow Queen really _was_ beautiful though. All soft and curvy and oh so delectable.

He wondered how much more tantalizing she would be, looking at him with fear.

Almost as if reading his mind, she gave a soft groan as she came back into consciousness.

He watched as she realized she was immobile, bound to the bed in the room he settled her in. She tugged experimentally at the bindings, attempting to free herself with her powers, but she still struggled to control them whereas he had centuries of experience.

"Where am I?" She asked, finally noticing him across the room.

He decided to humor her, slowly stalking towards her as he answered, "At my humble castle. I hope it's to your liking, majesty."

She eyed him wearily, but didn't say another word.

Until he placed his knees on the bed and made his way to her.

"W-what are you doing?" She stuttered, nervousness visibly apparent on her face.

"What do you think?" He asked, settling himself over her comfortably. He slid a finger under her chin and tilted her head up, forcing her to meet his gaze as he leaned in to observe her closely.

Realization flashed across her features as she figured out the implications of his words, and she threw herself back until she brushed up against the head of the bed. Clutching her arms in front of her, she regarded him with a combination of fear, nervousness, and… challenge.

"You're not afraid." He marveled, moving his hand to brush his fingers lightly along the curve of her cheek.

"Something happened to you. You're supposed to be a Guardian-" She responded wearily.

He stopped, his fingers hovering in the air over her smooth porcelain skin, anger coursing through him.

"I – am not – a – _Guardian_!" Jack gritted angrily, his thoughts a jumbled mess of confusion. They overwhelmed him before disappearing, slipping into the obsidian abyss of his mind as he pulled her forward and shoved her down while tugging at the front of her dress.

"_Guardians_ don't do this, _majesty_." He smirked, easily ripping the thin material.

She struggled against him, but he easily held her in place with his black ice, rendering her arms immobile. He leaned forward and kissed her hard, biting her lower lip harshly and causing her to gasp. He took advantage of that to slide his tongue into her mouth while he ruthlessly ground his hips into hers as he tugged her ruined dress down to expose more of her flawless skin. His free hand slid up to cup her smooth mounds, and he rolled his fingers, nipping and twisting experimentally.

She let out a strangled whimper, fear rolling off of her in waves as tears slid down her cheeks.

Abruptly, he stopped and frowned.

He hadn't planned on doing much – he just wanted to scare her into submission and revel in her fear, but once he tasted her nectar sweet lips, that was his undoing and he wanted _more_.

But her whimper snapped him out of the abyss clouding his mind, and then he felt and tasted the salt of her tears, and he felt disgusted with himself.

Her fear wasn't nearly as sweet as he thought it would be.

In fact, it unsettled him and shook him to the core.

_"What did you do to me?"_ He growled lowly, anger slowly coursing through him.

Something was horribly, terribly, utterly _wrong_, and he couldn't figure out what it was.

And he was certain that _she_ had something to do with it.

* * *

_**TBC.**_


	5. Part IV Doubt

Summary: Jack Frost sacrifices himself to save the rest of the Guardians from a preemptive strike by Pitch Black. Rather than kill the Guardian, he locks the Jack's memories and corrupts his soul instead. Two years later, the world is slowly falling into darkness. The Man in the Moon chooses a new Guardian but can she save herself from Pitch Black's new right hand man and her fellow Guardians in the process? Jelsa.

A/N: Thanks so much for all the feedback I've been getting! It really does mean a lot to me - it's the best gauge I have for seeing how I'm doing with my portrayal of the characters! Anyhow, this chapter turned out to be so lengthy (compared to the other chapters) that I decided to split it in two chapters, so here's part one!

**Glacial**

**Part IV: Doubt**

She felt ashamed to admit it, but Jack was a _really_ good kisser. And his touch lit her body on fire. When his hands slid over her skin, they left a trail of heat that left her unable to do anything but struggle to suppress the gasps of delightful pleasure.

That was the only thought echoing through her mind hours later, after he abruptly stopped, angry, leaving the room, only to come back momentarily with clean clothes. He dispelled the black ice bindings and warned her that escape was impossible – the castle was made of black ice and all the doors were locked – before leaving so she could get changed.

As he left though, she couldn't help but notice the shadows around him slightly fluctuating, like they were fighting for control. But then she blinked and they were solid, so she dismissed her earlier thoughts as a figment of her imagination.

Once she was comfortably dressed, she found herself sitting in the middle of her bed with her legs drawn up to her chest, staring out the window at the moon and wondering what would happen to her.

Jack certainly didn't _look_ like the winter Guardian, and she wasn't sure why his ice was black. All she knew was that something was _wrong_.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she thought about what he – they? – had done.

What he almost _did_. The feel of his hardness against her core, with only thin layers of clothing separating them. The shame she felt that she _enjoyed_ it. That it sent shivers of _pleasure_ shooting down her spine.

And the panic that overwhelmed her at the thought of what would happen if he hadn't stopped.

The way he _looked_ at her, his heated gaze, the look of bemusement when she whimpered and how he suddenly _stilled_. The fury in his face as he demanded to know what she had done to him.

She bit back a sob as she thought about the emotions flickering through his eyes. There was a startled awareness, something that sprang to the forefront of his soul. He looked frustrated, angry, confused.

And somehow, looking into his eyes, she _knew_. She knew that Jack was good, but something had happened to him.

But what could she do about it?

But… he said she was a Guardian too. That the Man in the Moon had _chosen_ her, Elsa.

"I have – had – a sister… Anna," she murmured to herself, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration as she struggled to come up with what happened, and her eyes widened at her realization, "I… died? But… I wasn't anyone before?"

A small chirp drew her attention to the edge of the window. Elsa slid off the bed and padded over to the window, where a small humming bird-like creature flew through and landed on her chest, burrowing into her shirt for warmth.

She was surprised when a feminine voice echoed through her mind, answering her previously rhetorical question. _'Of course you were. We were all __**someone**__ before we were chosen,'_

The words echoed through her head, and she gasped.

"Who are you?" She whispered.

'_Toothiana, the Tooth Fairy. The Guardian of Memories,'_ came a fading whisper.

"Who am I?" She asked.

'_You know who you are, Snow Queen. You need to find your center. What are you the Guardian of? Find it, and you will find your strength. I can't help you – Pitch has all of us. We need you to save Jack, and then save us. Please, Elsa. You're our last hope.'_

And then the humming bird creature chirped sadly as the voice faded, and somehow the Snow Queen knew that it was the end of the conversation for the time being.

"You're… the Tooth Fairy's helper?" She asked the humming bird creature uncertainly.

The bird creature nodded.

"What are you called?"

The bird made a sideways gesture at itself with its wings, then flew up to nudge her jaw.

"Tiny… no, Small… no, Baby… Tooth? Baby Tooth?"

The bird creature trilled happily.

"Okay Baby Tooth, are you here to help me?"

Baby Tooth nodded.

"All right. We have to help Jack first. Can you help me with that?"

Baby Tooth nodded, nudging something towards her that she didn't recognize before.

It was…

"Teeth?" Elsa asked curiously, sliding it open.

Baby Tooth chirped, and clarity seeped through her.

"_Baby_ teeth! These are somebody's baby teeth!" And peering at the small figure at the top, she gasped at the familiar unruly hair and bright blue eyes. "These are Jack's baby teeth! Are they his from… before?"

Baby Tooth nodded.

"These just might help!" She murmured happily, hugging the container to her.

* * *

"_Who have you been communicating with?"_ Pitch snarled at the Tooth Fairy.

He had felt the fluctuation of power the moment it happened, and ended it as soon as he could, which was mere moments later.

Toothiana only grinned at him, a defiant gleam in her eyes. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"You'll tell me, or I'll kill them." He threatened, gesturing to the numberless cages holding her Baby Teeth captive.

"Do you really think you have the upper hand? Who's not to say that we don't have an ace up our sleeves?" She taunted.

Pitch smirked. "Because I already know who the Man in the Moon chose for his newest Guardian, and I already sent my right hand man to take care of her."

Toothiana spared a quick glance at the rest of her fellow Guardians, wearily watching the scene between her and Pitch. "It doesn't matter." She stated boldly. "The Man in the Moon knows what he's doing. You'll never win as long as there's still a child in the world who believes in us, in the light and goodness, in sweet dreams and new beginnings."

The king of darkness roared angrily as he threw a blast of dark power at her, his fury fueling his blow.

The Guardian of Memories was out like a light.

* * *

_**TBC.**_


	6. Part V Truth

Summary: Jack Frost sacrifices himself to save the rest of the Guardians from a preemptive strike by Pitch Black. Rather than kill the Guardian, he locks the Jack's memories and corrupts his soul instead. Two years later, the world is slowly falling into darkness. The Man in the Moon chooses a new Guardian but can she save herself from Pitch Black's new right hand man and her fellow Guardians in the process? Jelsa.

A/N: Again, many thanks for SaturnXK for your thought provoking input! The moment you've all been waiting for! And to the anonymous reviewer, sorry, I won't be venturing past the T rating for the citrus stuff. It's not my forte or my writing style. And it looks like that update came way sooner than I thought, letitgo0 and windstruck07!

**Glacial**

**Part V: Truth**

Jack wearily made his way to the North Pole.

Pitch noticed him almost immediately. "Ah it's so good to see you Jackie boy. How's the Snow Queen enjoying her stay at your castle?"

The winter spirit shrugged. "She's… adequate. Put up a good fight, but she's no match for me."

The king of nightmares grinned. "Good. And once you break her, well, the possibilities are there. I feel like heading out for a bit, so take care of these Guardians for me."

Jack nodded once in understanding, and Pitch disappeared in a swirl of black sand.

As soon as Pitch was gone, Jack headed over to the Guardians.

A blast of black ice captured their attention and woke up the unconscious Tooth Fairy.

"Tell me what you know."

"Why should we?" Bunnymund demanded, glaring at him suspiciously.

Jack ignored the Easter bunny and turned to Toothiana, who looked at him apprehensively.

"Bunny has a point." The Tooth Fairy rasped, breathing heavily from her injuries. "Why do you want to know _now_?"

"I want the truth." He responded coolly.

"We've been telling you the truth," She answered him, her gaze unflinching as she met his. "It doesn't matter though, unless _you_ believe it, Jack. You used to be _somebody_ before you became a Guardian."

His jaw clenched at her words.

There was something about the way she said it that stirred something in his chest – no, his heart.

Feelings?

He ruthlessly suppressed them.

He was Jack _Frost_, darkness' right hand man. Grown men and children alike feared him. He didn't need any weaknesses.

So why did Toothiana's words echo those of the Snow Queen's (the beautiful girl with soft hair and pretty eyes, her voice pleading for him to _listen_), and why did their words ring of stone cold truth that reverberated deep within the chords of his soul?

* * *

When Jack returned to his castle early in the morning, he headed straight to his private chambers to check up on Elsa.

She was asleep in the middle of the bed.

He purposely shut the door loudly, startling her into wakefulness.

"Tell me everything you know about me."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and he elaborated, "Why do you say I'm a Guardian?"

"Because…"

Elsa bit her bottom lip uncertainly.

He scoffed. "That's what I thought. You don't even know. You just assumed from what you've heard from children's books. You don't even know who you were."

"Do you?" Elsa snapped, pulling out the container of teeth. "What about you, _Jack_? Do you know who you were _before_ you became darkness' right hand man? Do you even know _how_ you became who you are?"

She threw the container at him.

A small chirp caught his attention, and Jack was startled to see one of Toothiana's Baby Teeth flying towards him.

"What the-"

_Baby Tooth_ – his mind supplied helpfully – landed on the container and nudged it at him, and bright white enveloped his world.

* * *

_The memories come in flashes – a brown haired boy with bright blue eyes and a little girl who shares the same genetics, the boy playing pranks and jokes and making people laugh – before settling on a significant one._

_"Be careful!" Their mother calls out._

_"We will!" Jack calls cheerfully, following his little sister, their skates dangling over his shoulders._

_It's been snowing for the past couple months now, and the pond should be solid by now. The weather is clear and perfect for ice skating._

_But the pond hasn't frozen solid yet._

_His sister ends up square in the middle of a patch of slowly cracking ice, and Jack finds himself a couple feet away, struggling to reassure her while his brain racks up ideas on how to pull them out of their current predicament._

_"It's okay, it's okay. Don't look down. Just look at me."_

_"Jack, I'm scared!" She shouts, her bottom lip trembling as she struggles to stay upright._

_"I know, I know, but you're gonna be all right, you're not gonna fall in. We're gonna have a little fun instead."_

_"No we're not!"_

_"Would I trick you?"_

_"Yes, you always play tricks!"_

_"Not this time. I promise, I promise you're gonna be… you're gonna be fine. You have to believe in me." He calls, his voice placating. "You wanna play a game? We're gonna play hopscotch, like we play every day!" He takes a step, ignoring the ice cracking under his feet. "It's as easy as one- woah! – two, three!" and makes his way over to a solid patch of ice, where he notices a curved tree branch. He picks it up, steadying himself. "All right, now it's your turn."_

_"One… that's it, two, three!" And he hooks the branch around her ankle and drags her to safety, trading his for hers._

_He smiles in relief, because she's safe. The thin ice cracks underneath the pressure of his body and before he knows it, his world is submerging in ice and cold and darkness._

_The last thing he remembers is his sister's fearful scream._

**_"Jack!"_**

* * *

The darkness surrounding Jack began to fluctuate wildly as pure ice surrounded him, and then the darkness was forcibly dispersed, revealing the winter Guardian of Joy.

His eyes were wide with his latest epiphany. "I had a family. I had a sister. I saved her." Slowly, he lifted his eyes up to the moon. "That's why you chose me. I'm… I'm a Guardian."

And then he finally moved his eyes across the room to meet Elsa's, and he slowly repeated himself, disbelief written across his features even as his voice shook with the truth.

_"I'm a Guardian."_

* * *

_**TBC.**_


	7. Part VI Unraveling

Summary: Jack Frost sacrifices himself to save the rest of the Guardians from a preemptive strike by Pitch Black. Rather than kill the Guardian, he locks the Jack's memories and corrupts his soul instead. Two years later, the world is slowly falling into darkness. The Man in the Moon chooses a new Guardian but can she save herself from Pitch Black's new right hand man and her fellow Guardians in the process? Jelsa.

A/N: This chapter was only possible thanks to SaturnXK! As a result, I've broken down this chapter into a couple more sections again. I hope this chapter doesn't seem too rushed. We've got roughly 3 or 4 chapters left, including the epilogue. Thanks for all your support thus far! It means a lot to me! Also, this will probably be the last update for at least a couple weeks. I suddenly found myself swamped with work and school (eeks!)!

**Glacial**

**Part VI: Unraveling**

"_I'm a Guardian."_

After Jack vocalized his epiphany, the two Guardians stared at each other in silence for a couple moments.

Then, like a marionette cut from its strings, Jack collapsed to his knees, his hands moving up to tug at his hair in frustration. Agony was written across his features as his eyes filled with tears.

"I can't believe I _fell_ for it – Pitch – I – the others – I _betrayed_ them! And _you_!" He cried.

Elsa went over to him before she realized what she was doing and enveloped him in a hug.

"You didn't know it. It was all Pitch. He manipulated you." She tried to reassure him, but he shook his head.

"No, Pitch – he _couldn't_ completely corrupt me. He's not strong enough. But he's smart – he covered up my heart and memories with darkness so I couldn't fight to the bottom, and so he was able to control me. He used my feelings against me, confusing my senses, and it's like he _knew_ I'd be attracted to you, but I let myself believe everything he said-!"

Jack abruptly broke off as snow hit him in the face. He blinked, stunned as he turned his eyes to Elsa, who had a look of irritation on his face.

Elsa nodded approvingly when she realized she had his full attention, accompanied by a sulky scowl.

"You're a moron." She stated bluntly, and smiled slightly at the way his jaw dropped. But before he could respond, she continued forcefully, "What _happened_, happened. Did Pitch manipulate you? Yes. Did you do bad things? Yes. Could they have been worse? Yes. But they _weren't_."

She let her words sink in before moving to stand in front of him, her gaze locking squarely with his icy blue eyes as she continued, her voice soft and imploring and passionate all at once, "Because even when Pitch had some control over you, you still felt that something was _wrong_. Even you said so, Jack! Pitch isn't strong enough to corrupt you! Do you know what that means? _We can fight him._ What happened, _happened_. What matters is _now_. We have to help the rest of the Guardians!"

When Elsa finished, she noticed that Jack was staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. There were hints of awe, respect, admiration, and surprise flickering across his eyes as he took in her words.

"Got it?" She demanded.

Jack nodded mutely, and the Snow Queen smiled. "Good. Because I'm attracted to you too, silly."

* * *

Before the winter Guardian of Joy could respond, the door abruptly burst open and harsh neighs interrupted them.

The two Guardians looked up to see shadowy horses gathered at the doorway, pawing the ground and glaring at the duo with malicious intent.

"W-what are those?" Elsa asked, stepping back fearfully.

"Nightmares. They thrive off fear." Jack responded, tightening his grip on his staff and moving to shield her.

Baby Tooth flew out the window, chirping and trilling frantically.

"Jack, I'm scared." Elsa whispered.

"I know, but you're gonna be alright." He trailed off as memories flooded him and he found himself repeating faraway words from a memory long gone, images of a scared little girl standing on slowly cracking ice flooding his mind. He blinked, and the image was replaced with Elsa's wide eyes and the uncertainty of the way she held herself. _"We're gonna have a little fun instead!"_

The Snow Queen looked at him in confusion as the Nightmares advanced, and then snowballs came hurling from all different directions, catching them off guard. The Nightmares stopped, blinking in bemusement.

Elsa started giggling as Jack did what he did best – skillfully engaged her in a snowball fight while pelting the minions of darkness with ice-infused snowballs.

As they slowly destroyed the Nightmares with play, Baby Tooth returned and shoved something into Elsa's hands. Looking down, she realized it was another container.

Baby teeth.

_Her_ baby teeth.

She stared at it for what seemed like an eternity before she could force the words through the tip of her tongue. "Is this-?"

And this time, as the Tooth Fairy assistant touched the container, the bright light enveloped her and she found herself living through memories that were both familiar and unfamiliar at once.

* * *

_Her sister is dead. She killed her sister._

_And then she hears her sister's voice. "NO!"_

_The sound of a sword slicing through the air and coming into contact with solid resistance._

_The brute backlash of the magical protection Anna evoked to protect her._

_Trembling hands reaching out to touch the smooth ice that was once her sister before she throws her arms around the frozen figure. "ANNA! Oh no, no, please no!"_

_The little snowman that she and Anna created when they were little ("Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!), that she unwittingly brought to life when she let go of her magic for the first time. "Anna?"_

_The feel of Anna's frozen body, suspended in time, suddenly thawing and becoming flesh right under her fingertips._

_Her voice, full of disbelief and hope, the sound of a broken heart being mended. "Anna?"_

_The first hug the sisters have exchanged in about a decade, and neither want to let go of the other. "Oh, Elsa."_

"_You sacrificed yourself for _me_?"_

_Anna's smile, brighter than sunshine and warmer than the sun. "I love you."_

_The sisters are reunited, and then Kristoff spots the Duke of Weaselton's henchmen aiming crossbows at the sisters. He shouts a warning, but it's too late. They fire._

_This time, Elsa saves Anna. She shoves her sister out of the way, managing to block two of the shots, but she can't escape the third, and it pierces through her chest._

_She crumples to the floor._

_The last memories are hazy._

"_An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart," Anna sobs._

_She tries to tell Anna to be happy, but she can't._

_Instead, she lifts trembling fingers to brush against Anna's cheeks to try to convey that she doesn't feel pain anymore._

_Slowly, her hands become dead weight and the world fades to darkness._

* * *

"Love," she whispered.

"What?" Jack asked, his staff in hand as he worked to demolish the Nightmares.

"That's it, that's my center!" She exclaimed, grabbing his hands and smiling, ignoring the advancing horses of darkness. "Love!"

Jack grinned as she unleashed a flurry of ice attacks that decimated the surrounding Nightmares and purified the castle, turning it into a beautiful work of art.

"That was amazing!" He exclaimed, admiration in his voice and on his face as he beamed at her with a sense of pride that sent warm butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

"Let's save our friends." She murmured, not quite able to suppress her own smile in response.

* * *

_**TBC.**_


	8. Part VII Coup de grace

Summary: Jack Frost sacrifices himself to save the rest of the Guardians from a preemptive strike by Pitch Black. Rather than kill the Guardian, he locks the Jack's memories and corrupts his soul instead. Two years later, the world is slowly falling into darkness. The Man in the Moon chooses a new Guardian but can she save herself from Pitch Black's new right hand man and her fellow Guardians in the process? Jelsa.

A/N: Again thank you so much SaturnXK for your input! It really means a lot to me. Anyhow, thanks for all your patience! I had a busy week, so here's a double update! This chapter is short and important, but it acts more of a filler (in a sense) for the Guardians in the next chapter. I think you'll recognize bits of dialogue (and scenes) here and there. Let me know which one's your favorite!

**Glacial**

**Part VII: Coup de gr****â****ce**

The globe in the workshop, slowly growing duller as the days passed, was coming back to life with a frenzy that was near impossible to keep up with. Lights flickered on all over the world, illuminating belief of children all around the world and replenishing the hope and strength of the Guardians.

Pitch turned to the prisoners, only to find that they were no longer there.

He blinked. Did Jack move them somewhere else? But then he turned around to find the Tooth Fairy's assistants gone from their cages.

It was as if–

Realization hit him all at once.

"YOU TRAITOR!" He bellowed with a loud roar.

"No, you're the deceiver." A familiar voice responded.

Jack Frost, Guardian of Fun and the spirit of winter, stepped forward from the darkness. The shadows practically melted off him to reveal his truest self – icy blue eyes with white hair and pale skin, and his typical frost-ridden hoodie and brown pants. There was not a trace of darkness left.

Beside him stood the Snow Queen in all her glory, snowflakes dancing from her fingertips as she coolly surveyed the king of darkness. Behind the duo stood the rest of the Guardians, looking radiant and energized, their strength coming from the children who believed in them.

And they were _pissed off_.

"I just wanted to show you what we could accomplish together!" Pitch pled.

"It is our job to watch over the children of the world, and keep them safe. To bring hope, wonder, and dreams." North started menacingly, but Jack cut him off.

"And what is that?" He asked coolly, the very embodiment of the season he guarded.

Pitch's eyes gleamed manically. "What goes together better than cold and dark? We can make them believe! We'll give them a world where everything, everything is-!"

"Pitch black?" Jack asked dryly.

"And Jack Frost too. They'll believe in both of us."

Jack shook his head. "No, they'll _fear_ both of us. _And that's __**not**__ what I want. Now, for the last time, leave me alone!_"

A gentle touch to his hand had his – and Pitch's – attention turn to Toothiana, who grinned and flipped a quarter at him.

"A quarter-?!" He started in bemusement, confusion flitting across his features–

And then she decked the king of darkness across the face.

"_That's_ for my fairies!" The Tooth Fairy smirked, her assistants chirping proudly behind her while the rest of the Guardians looked on with various expressions of amusement on their faces, and then she turned to nod at Elsa. "Thanks for the help, Elsa. I'm glad we're on the same team!"

Elsa simply smiled in response before turning her attention to Pitch. "Now… for the coup de grâce."

"_You?"_ Pitch asked in disbelief. "Against _me_?"

Elsa smirked. "Love will thaw a frozen heart. And yours is a little more than frozen, Pitch."

With that, her hand glowed bright white as ice formed at her will. She launched it at Pitch, who ducked, only to realize it was a distraction for the combined attacks of the rest of the Guardians.

When the king of darkness finally crumpled to the ground, utterly spent, he looked _terrible_.

"You can't get rid of me! Not forever! There will always be fear!" He seethed from his spot on the floor.

North shrugged. "So what? As long as one child believes, we will be here to fight fear."

Pitch then smirked, gesturing to the approaching Nightmares. "Really? Then what are they doing here?"

Imitating North's nonchalance, Elsa shrugged. "They can't be my nightmares. I'm not afraid of you."

Looking around at his fellow Guardians' headshakes, Jack laughed. "Looks like it's _your_ fear they smell."

At that, Pitch's eyes widened. "No!"

He moved to run from his minions of darkness, but they overtook him, dragging him back to the depths of darkness from where he came.

"That couldn't have gone any better." Elsa finally remarked, causing her fellow Guardians to grin.

* * *

_**TBC.**_


	9. Part VIII Mending

Summary: Jack Frost sacrifices himself to save the rest of the Guardians from a preemptive strike by Pitch Black. Rather than kill the Guardian, he locks the Jack's memories and corrupts his soul instead. Two years later, the world is slowly falling into darkness. The Man in the Moon chooses a new Guardian but can she save herself from Pitch Black's new right hand man and her fellow Guardians in the process? Jelsa.

A/N: Last chapter before the epilogue! I should probably clarify that this is meant to be a short story. I won't be venturing too deeply into the Guardians at this point in time. I guess you could say this is a beginning of sorts into a lot of future Jelsa and Guardians stories that I may or may not write depending on the mood. There are definitely a lot of possibilities out there, but this should be the end of Pitch for now! Anyhow, enjoy!

**Glacial**

**Part VIII: Mending**

After Pitch was gone, the Guardians stood in what was left of North's workshop.

With the surrounding darkness gone, it was bare and empty, devoid of children's toys and childish delight.

"Well," North perked up happily as he noticed his elves and yetis cautiously wandering in. "Let's make toys!"

"I need to check on my tunnels. Who knows what's left of them." Bunnymund muttered.

"And I need to take my babies back to the castle so we can check on the children!" Toothiana said, her Baby Teeth flitting in the air behind her.

Sandy didn't say anything, but his golden sand swirled around him, tendrils already shooting out to bring sweet dreams to children.

Before the rest of Guardians could make a move, Jack held up a hand, his head bowed. "Wait a second guys."

They all stopped, exchanging brief looks with one another and then Elsa, and then turned their attention to Jack.

Tooth was the first to speak up, her voice soft and understanding. "You don't have to apologize, Jack. We're not angry with _you_."

"But I _hurt_ you guys. I _betrayed_ all of you! I don't deserve to be a Guardian-!"

Bunny cut him off, irritation on his face, "Oy, mate, ya think this is the first time we've dealt with Pitch? We know what he's capable of." The Easter bunny shrugged and added, "If you really feel bad about it, you can help us re-build our domains. I don't know about you guys, but Easter's coming up."

North stepped up, his face solemn. "Jack, you did not choose to be Guardian. Man in Moon chose you. You are Guardian. It is our job to protect the children of the world, and you did that. Pitch could not completely control you because you were too strong. You knew something was wrong."

"But I still _hurt_ you!" Jack burst out, clearly upset. "And I didn't care that you were hurt!"

Elsa moved to comfort him, but a subtle shake of head from Toothiana held her back. This was between Jack and the other Guardians. They needed to let this play out.

So they watched as North placed a hand on Jack's shoulder and simply said, "We are better now. Past is past, Jack. Past is not present or future."

Bunny rolled his eyes. "Just come with me, mate. I need help re-building those tunnels. Then we can check on the rest of those guys afterwards. I wasn't kidding about help for Easter, y'know."

"Besides!" Tooth piped up, wagging a finger playfully, "If you keep drowning in guilt and misery, you're letting Pitch win, and we just kicked his butt!"

Tendrils of golden sand floated over their heads and formed a huge hand above Jack's head. The hand moved downwards to slap Jack across the back of the head, turning the Guardians' attention to the Sandman, who was grinning as he shook a finger in imitation of the Tooth Fairy, his message clear.

At that, Jack cracked a grin and commented, "Snap out of it, huh? Got it Sandy. I think a couple more of those ought to do the trick."

And at that, the rest of the Guardians cracked matching grins of amusement.

They knew things weren't completely back to normal just yet, but they would get there.

But for now, the mend in the rift was closed.

* * *

_**TBC.**_


	10. Part Last Epilogue

Summary: Jack Frost sacrifices himself to save the rest of the Guardians from a preemptive strike by Pitch Black. Rather than kill the Guardian, he locks the Jack's memories and corrupts his soul instead. Two years later, the world is slowly falling into darkness. The Man in the Moon chooses a new Guardian but can she save herself from Pitch Black's new right hand man and her fellow Guardians in the process? Jelsa.

A/N: The end! For now. Short and sweet, just like I like it. A huge, huge, HUGE thanks to SaturnXK, because without you, this fic would not be where it is now. This was a challenge to write, and you were my sounding board, so THANK YOU. I'm sending a ton of virtual hugs and cookies and good vibes your way! And a huge shout out for all my readers and reviewers! Your support means the world to me! You guys inspire me to keep writing!

**Glacial**

**Part Last: Epilogue**

The Guardians stood in a semi-circle around Elsa, with North in front of her holding a big book. "Will you, Elsa, vow to watch over the children of the world? To guard them with your life, their hopes, their wishes and their dreams, for they are all that we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be?"

Elsa nodded. "I will."

"Then congratulations, Elsa, for you are now, and forevermore, a Guardian!" North proclaimed proudly, clapping his hands and signaling for the elves to start the celebration.

Toothiana was the first to reach her, grinning wildly as she grabbed both of Elsa's hands and squealing happily, "Oh it's so great to finally have another girl around! We're going to have so much fun!"

Baby Tooth chirped in congratulations as she perched on the Snow Queen's shoulder.

Bunnymund was next, introducing himself and jokingly commenting (although he did sound rather serious...) that she was a better choice than the groundhog _and_ Jack, and that she was welcome to drop by to visit at any time.

North congratulated her with a bear hug that lifted her off her feet, and when he finally set her down, he gave her a set of nesting dolls that looked like her, complete with a small heart inside the smallest one, to "remember what your center is."

When Elsa finally made her way to Jack, she was beaming from ear to ear as she yelled excitedly, "I'm a Guardian!"

"Guardian of Love, huh? It fits you," Jack chuckled, reaching for her and drawing her into a hug.

She snuggled into his arms, smiling.

And then she leaned up on her toes and kissed him.

* * *

_**FIN.**_


End file.
